A Century of Mustangs Cheerleading (1946-1971)

By Alex Marchand

By the late 1940s, cheerleading squads were growing to between eight and 10 members. As a result, Western cheerleaders began developing a new form of creativity: human pyramids. A photo of these early pyraminds was featured in the Nov 5th, 1948 edition of the Western Gazette. Although these early pyramids may not have possessed the size or technical prowess of later formations, they nonetheless showcased a great deal of creativity and originality.

Perhaps the most iconic move of the time was the banana split jump, which became incredibly popular during the 1950s and even found its way on the cover of a Mustang’s Gridiron News program in 1953. During player introductions, the cheerleaders would form a tunnel and jump as high as possible, hands and legs extended, as the football players charged by. An excellent shot of this can be found in the 1966 occidentalia. Chances are, if you’re looking at a picture of cheerleaders from these decades, you can count on at least one of them hitting a banana split.

Here’s an interesting tidbit of cheerleading trivia: During the 1945 and 1946 seasons, the Western cheerleaders wore numbers! The squad swapped their “W” sweaters for long-sleeved hockey jerseys numbered from 14 to 26. Mustang historians explain the change in uniform as being a result of the university’s shortened budget post-war, leading to a recycling of jerseys amongst varsity teams. The cheerleaders would go back to their customary Western sweaters during the 1947 season. 1946 was also the first time the squad went truly “co-ed”, boasting four men and four women. This equal-gender configuration would remain the norm for decades to come.

Looking back on Mustangs cheerleading during this period reveals an interesting contrast to the ultra-competitive athletic squads of today. Around 1950, the team would celebrate victories with a “ring-around-the-rosie” celebration with a leader dressed in a suit and barbershop-style hat. The cheerleaders also sat during play at football games during the 1940s and 1950s, a practice unthinkable by today's standards. The attire of cheerleaders during this time was also far from what one would consider “athletic”. Women wore purple baseball caps during the late 1940s and early 1950s to go with their thick knit sweaters and collared shirts. For men, a “W” sweater, sneakers, and white slacks were the dress of the day, perfect for showing off the dirt accumulated from all “kanninys” after Mustangs touchdowns.

The 1960s saw a “style revolution” of sorts, as white cowboy hats became a staple for both men and women.  Women's attire changed based on the increasing frequency of shoulder stands and pyramids.

While peak athletic performance may not have been a prime concern in those days, the cheerleaders were still easily capable of wowing crowds with their circus-like feats and acrobatics. Such daring stunts included members dive-rolling over six-person pyramids (1953 occi p. 146); female cheerleaders hula-hooping on the shoulders of their male counterparts (1959 occi); and a greater incorporation of gymnastic elements such as handstands (1958 occi) headstands (1961 occi) and somersaults. Indeed, Mustang's spectators of the time were truly spoiled with their entertainment!

By the late 1960s, human pyramids had been a staple of the Mustangs stunt repertoire for at least 20 years. However, with the team now regularly boasting 12+ members a season, a greater variety of pyramids was now possible. The team began experimenting with increasingly bizarre (and risky) human structures at football games. An incredible shot from the 1970 season shows a cheerleader standing atop the shoulders of two of his teammates, who are each planted firmly on the shoulders of three more teammates! It was these early human pyramids that served as the prototypes for today’s similarly large, however more structured, human pyramids.

As the 1970s rolled on, the Mustangs cheerleading team continued to honor their many tried and true traditions, while simultaneously pushing the envelope in their discipline. In the next segment of “A Century of Mustang Cheerleading”, we will discuss the athletic revolution that would forever change the team, as well as the sport of cheerleading itself.